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Important Qualities and Features to Look for When Choosing an Online Trading Broker

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Online Trading Broker

A large number of people turn to market investments to multiply their fortune, and why not? After all, haven’t we all heard stories of the fortunate few who have raked in millions while tossing in their beds?

It is hard to not get swayed away by prospects like that. But market investments, be it stocks, cryptocurrencies, or forex, come with their fair share of risks.

But as they say, risk comes from not knowing what you are doing. The investment business can be extremely rewarding, yet at the same time, very unforgiving as well.

Play your cards right and you could very well plan an early retirement, but put the wrong foot forward and you are bound to lose your balance.

Given the high risk that accompanies investment in online trading, it is important to arm yourself with the best tools possible. To be profitable in the online trading market, the first thing that you need to have is an online trading broker that is reliable, easy, and intuitive to use and aligns with your investment goals and style. There are various online trading brokers for you to choose from.

But you must be careful while making the decision. While not many, there are some brokers that tend to make a profit at the expense of clients. You just need to do a little research and you will find an ideal broker for you; one that serves your interests. Here are some important qualities and features to look for when choosing an online trading broker.

Availability of Investment Research

If you are new to the world of investments, this is one feature you can really benefit from. Truth be told, this feature is essential not just for beginners, but also for veterans. An investment broker that offers research papers for free can help reduce your trading expenses and at the same time help you make more informed decisions. While stock and mutual fund research can also be purchased, it can be quite expensive.

Quality of Customer Service

When it comes to online broker services, the quality of customer service is something that is often overlooked. Depending on what kind of asset you are trading on, your trading hours could be spread across the day and not just be limited to the opening bell and the closing bell of the stock market. While selecting an investment broker, it is important that you opt for one that offers excellent customer service round the clock. The customer services should be competent, efficient, and well trained

Regulations

The best way of judging the credibility and reliability of a broker is to look at the regulations and requirements that the broker adheres to. For instance, when it comes to cryptocurrency, the investment business remains largely unregulated. However, when it comes to forex, the brokers must be members of the National Futures Association and must strictly abide by its rules. The same applies to other investment platforms as well.

Website Interface

While using an online broker, the website of the broker is amongst the most important aspects that one must consider. Given that all your trade would be made via the website, it is important that the interface and the navigation of the website are intuitive and easy to understand.

You might end up selecting a broker with a lower cost per trade, but if the website of the broker is poorly designed, it would take longer to complete a trade and the extra effort required may not be worth the few bucks that you saved on the cost of a trade.

The experienced investors at https://www.trusted-broker-reviews.com/ic-markets/ suggest taking a free trial of the brokerage services before making a commitment. Various brokerage services offer such free demo accounts and these can go a long way in experiencing the broker first hand.

Types of Investment Options Available

To cement your position in the investment market, you need to diversify your investments. You should invest in different kinds of assets, from stocks to mutual funds, cryptocurrencies to forex. This helps you stay afloat even when the prices go down or the market hits a perigee. The ability to invest in different investment options is a great feature to have in online trading brokers.

Costs Involved

While selecting an online investment broker you must be careful of the various costs that you incur beyond the initial application fee. These costs are often difficult to identify while registering and you could be in for a rude awakening further down the line.

Cost Per Trade

Cost per trade is often used as a standard benchmark to compare the cost incurred while using different trading brokers. This is one aspect that can be easily quantified, which makes it a good way of comparing different brokers. While this might be a straightforward way of comparing brokers, there are various other costs that also must be considered and a low cost per trade may not exactly translate into a lower overall expenditure. For instance, if you invest exclusively in mutual funds, a low cost per trade would be pointless for you.

Initial Investment Required

More often than not, brokers require you to make a minimum initial investment, which can be thousands of dollars. If you are a newbie, investing such a large amount on the get-go doesn’t make sense and carries a huge risk. As a beginner, you should try and opt for a broker that either does not require any initial investment or at least limits it to a reasonable amount.

trading broker

Making the right investments can help you make a notable profit, but at the same time, it can also be equally disastrous. The unpredictable nature of the value of such assets makes it important to make the right decisions at the right time. As such, choosing the best broker is important for your success as an investor.

There are various factors that must be considered while selecting the right broker for you; all the way from website layout and cost per trade to the investment options available and the statutes and regulations. Keep an eye out for these features and qualities, and you will be able to select a broker that suits you.

Aduragbemi Omiyale is a journalist with Business Post Nigeria, who has passion for news writing. In her leisure time, she loves to read.

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Economy

Presco, GTCO List Additional Shares on Stock Exchange

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Nigeria's stock exchange

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The duo of Presco Plc and Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Plc has listed additional shares on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.

The extra equities of these two publicly-listed organisations were admitted to the local stock exchange last Friday, increasing their respective total issued and fully paid-up shares.

For Presco, it listed fresh 166,666,667 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each on the daily official list of the NGX on Friday, January 30, 2026, increasing its total issued and fully paid-up stocks from 1,000,000,000 units to 1,166,666,667 units.

The additional equities were from the rights issue of the firm allotted to shareholders on the basis of one new share for every existing six ordinary shares held as at close of business on Monday, October 13, 2025.

In a circular issued over the weekend, the NGX said, “Trading licence holders are hereby notified that additional 166,666,667 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Presco Plc were on Friday, January 30, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited (NGX).

“The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of 166,666,667 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N1,420.00 per share on the basis of one new share for every existing six ordinary shares held as at close of business on Monday, October 13, 2025.

“With the listing of the additional 166,666,667 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up shares of Presco Plc has now increased from 1,000,000,000 to 1,166,666,667 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.”

As for GTCO, it listed additional125,000,000 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N80.00 per unit offered through private placement.

The fresh equities taken to Customs Street have raised the total issued and fully paid-up shares of GTCO from 36,425,229,514 to 36,550,229,514 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.

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Economy

FG, States, Local Councils Share N1.969trn FAAC Allocation

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faac allocation

By Adedapo Adesanya

A total of N1.969 trillion was shared to the federal government, the 36 state governments and the 774 local government councils from the gross revenue of N2.585 trillion generated by the nation in December 2025.

The money was disbursed to the three tiers of government at the January 2026 Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr Bawa Mokwa, it was stated that the FAAC allocation comprised statutory revenue of N1.084 trillion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N846.507 billion, and Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N38.110 billion.

“Total deduction for cost of collection was N104.697 billion, while total transfers, refunds, and savings were N511.585 billion,” the statement partly read.

It was also revealed that from the N1.969 trillion total distributable revenue, the federal Government received the sum of N653.500 billion, and the state governments received N706.469 billion, the local government councils received N513.272 billion, and the sum of N96.083 billion was shared with the benefiting state as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

He said of the N1.084 trillion distributable statutory revenue, the central government received N520.807 billion, the state governments got N264.160 billion, the local councils were given N203.656 billion, and N96.083 billion was shared to the benefiting states as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

FAAC noted that from the N846.507 billion distributable VAT earnings, the federal government got N126.976 billion, the state governments received N423.254 billion, and the local government councils got N296.277 billion.

From the revenue from EMTL, Mr Mokwa explained that the national government was given N5.717 billion, the state governments got N19.055 billion, and the councils collected N13.338 billion.

He added that the companies’ Income Tax (CIT)/CGT and STD, Import Duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) increased significantly in December, while oil and gas royalty, CET levies and fees increase marginally, with excise duty, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT)/Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), and EMTL considerably down.

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Economy

Oil Exports to Drop as Shell Commences Maintenance on Bonga FPSO

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Bonga FPSO

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s oil exports will drop in February following the shutdown of the Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel scheduled for turnaround maintenance.

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) Limited confirmed the development in a statement issued, adding that gas output will also decline during the maintenance period.

This comes as SNEPCo begun turnaround maintenance on the Bonga FPSO, the statement signed by its Communications Manager, Mrs Gladys Afam-Anadu, said, describing the exercise as a statutory integrity assurance programme designed to extend the facility’s operational lifespan.

SNEPCo Managing Director, Mr Ronald Adams, said the maintenance would ensure safe, efficient operations for another 15 years.

“The scheduled maintenance is designed to reduce unplanned deferments and strengthen the asset’s overall resilience.

“We expect to resume operations in March following completion of the turnaround,” he said.

Mr Adams said the scope included inspections, certification, regulatory checks, integrity upgrades, engineering modifications and subsea assurance activities.

“The FPSO, about 120 kilometres offshore in over 1,000 metres of water, can produce 225,000 barrels of oil daily.

“It also produces 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day,” he said.

He said maintaining the facility was critical to Nigeria’s production stability, energy security and revenue objectives.

Mr Adams noted that the 2024 Final Investment Decision on Bonga North increased the importance of the FPSO’s reliability. He said the turnaround would prepare the facility for additional volumes from the Bonga North subsea tie-back project.

According to him, the last turnaround maintenance was conducted in October 2022.

“On February 1, 2023, the asset produced its one billionth barrel since operations began in 2005,” Mr Adams said.

SNEPCo operates the Bonga field in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited, under a Production Sharing Contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

The last turnaround maintenance activity on the FPSO took place in October 2022. On February 1, the following year, the asset delivered its 1 billionth barrel of oil since production commenced in 2005.

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